Politics, parenting and other prattlings.

April 30, 2008

For your own good, of course!

WINDSOR, N.J. (CBS) ― The sputtering economy has caused an increase in prices of many staples including gasoline, rice, ice cream, even beer. Now some lawmakers in New Jersey are considering taking food taxes a step further and install a proverbial "sin" tax on fast food. [...]

The thought of taxing a Big Mac or a Wendy's burger came up at a New Jersey Hospital Association meeting where Gov. Jon S. Corzine was asked if it could be an option to help fund struggling hospitals. At the meeting, he reportedly called it a "constructive suggestion." [...]

"I think this country has gone too much in the direction of fast and unhealthy food, and if people are taxed they may terminate that and turn toward more healthy foods," said West Orange resident Maureen Felix.

April 20, 2008

Apologies

I started a new job last week. I'm still with the county but am with a different department and have been promoted into a supervisor job.

The area I'm working in hasn't had a supervisor for almost six months, so I hit the ground running trying to learn whole new arena and play catchup at the same time.

One thing, though, I've been coming home exhausted with little more ambition than to eat dinner and fall into bed.

I don't know if I'll discuss much of where I now work. It's still connected with law enforcement/judiciary, but in an area where confidentiality is of the utmost importance. It's interesting but, on occassion, haunting work.

April 13, 2008

The punchline to any joke about feminists ...

A satirical response to a feminist publication at Colorado College has landed the college and two of its students in the middle of a fierce debate over freedom of speech.Chris Robinson and another student at the Colorado Springs institution decided to print "The Monthly Bag" after seeing copies of a feminist and gender studies newsletter, "The Monthly Rag," in restrooms around campus.

The edition of "The Monthly Rag" that prompted action included an announcement for a talk on feminist pornography, information on gender-bending practices, and a tidbit about a myth involving male castration. According to Robinson, it was representative of what appears every month.

In response, Robinson and a friend created their flier, which provided tips on chainsaw etiquette, detailed a sexual position from Men's Health magazine and provided trivia about a sniper rifle — what Robinson called information for the stereotypical macho man.Staff members removed The Bag within hours of receiving complaints that the publication was threatening.

Please view and compare the following pdf's of the fliers in question:

By what rationale does Colorado College deem the parody flier "threatening?" According to Mike Edmonds,vice president for student life at Colorado College, it is because of "the juxtaposition of weaponry and sexuality."

What Edmonds intentionally forgot to say was it is because of the juxtaposition of stereotypical masculine sexuality and weaponry. The Monthly Rag (which last time I checked is a play on a crude reference to menstruation -- and any male uses such a reference is liable to have a murder of feminists after him demanding blood) juxtapostions mention of castration along with feminist porn and carrying dildos.

And what response does Tomi-Ann Roberts, director of the feminist and gender studies program that publishes "The Monthly Rag" have about the Colorado College's jackboot response to a parody?

"Obviously, there are some men here on this campus who are very angry at our flier"

Oh. Anger. Yes, of course. Cuz making fun of the stuff coming out of your pretentious pseudo-academic program can never be funny. It must be Teh Hate.

It is interesting to note that Greg Lukianoff, FIRE president, wrote an article about this case for HuffPo and it generated only two comments.

Yes, those "Progressives" are sure dedicated to the cause of free speech, eh?

April 07, 2008

Just in time for April 15th

April 04, 2008

Conspiracy!

SONNY Bono, former husband and singing partner of superstar Cher, was clubbed to death by hitmen on the orders of drug and weapons dealers who feared he was going to expose them, a former FBI agent claims.

Ted Gunderson, now a private investigator, has told the US Globe tabloid that Bono, who served as mayor of Palm Springs for four years, did not die after hitting a tree on a Nevada ski slope in January 1998 as everyone believed.

Actually, many people for years have suspected the original story. Afterall, the tree was planted.